Interim report of the Benthos Ecology Working Group (BEWG)

The 2018 meeting of the Benthos Ecology Working Group (BEWG), chaired by Silvana Birchenough, UK, was held at the Observatoire océanologique, Banyuls-sur-mer, France, 14–18 May, and was attended by 24 experts, representing 10 countries. The agenda structure of the meeting followed the five main themes the BEWG continuously has worked on over the last years. These are under benthic long-term series and climate change, benthic indicators, species distribution modelling, the link between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning and the role of benthos within MPAs.